Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has two notable achievements. First, he became a grass court champion and ranked number one. Both of these achievements exceeded the expectations of a player who rose quickly and suddenly to the top of the game.
He had already reached the top of the rankings at the age of 19, but just days ago the idea of winning a title on grass seemed years away.
Spanish players arrived to compete in a tournament called Queens. The purpose of this initiative was to gain experience. He went on to play the champion and Wimbledon as the number one.
This success shows that Carlos Alcaraz can prove to be a tough opponent for the famous tennis player Novak Djokovic.
“I feel like one of the favorites to win Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said with a smile.
Winning Queens before a Grand Slam has had the effect of changing his confidence. The first grass-court title is just his third tournament, the most memorable of his young career.
“It’s special for me not to come here with too much confidence and to see myself playing at a high level,” he said.
‘And obviously I think Wimbledon is the most beautiful tournament on the tour. This is a tournament that I really wanted to win someday. To prepare for Wimbledon like I did this week is very special for me and I have a lot of confidence to make that dream come true this year.’
Alcaraz’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alex de Menor in the Queen’s final matched her impressive and thoughtful performance throughout the tournament.
Alcaraz continued to improve her game with each match, serving the best of the tournament in 30 degree Celsius temperatures in West London.
He faced a difficult situation with the score 0.30 against him while serving. This happened because he took a straight shot and the ball went off the edge. However, he responded with an ace shot and several difficult serves that his opponent De Manor failed to play.
Once Carlos Alcaraz gets used to playing on grass and discovers the power of the forehand shot, he has a complete set of tools that will make him hard to stop at Wimbledon. He won seven ace shots and both break points to finish the game.
Alcaraz said, ‘Today’s service was really helpful for me.
‘I think that thanks to the service I got through some very difficult times. It’s something I’ve worked really hard on over the past months and obviously coming to play on grass is a process that I probably work on more than other shots. But yes I think I’m a good player to play on grass with all the weapons I have.’
De Manor tried to thwart Alcaraz’s best shots with his mastery of spin. The Australian did well early on and went after Alcaraz’s drop shot to create a chance to break Alcaraz’s serve with a superb backhand shot.
Alcaraz held his serve in a tight opening set and saved a break point with a powerful ace shot that hit 137 mph.
Alcaraz started to get the upper hand as he got used to dealing with De Manor’s difficult backhand and was more successful moving toward the net. He managed to break De Manor’s serve towards the end of the first set. He took advantage of some mistakes by the 24-year-old de Manor with a few points. Alcaraz hit a winning forehand and an ace shot to eventually win the first set.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a shot against Australia’s Alex De Manor during the men’s singles final match at the Cinch ATP Tennis Championships at Queen’s Club in west London on June 25, 2023 (AFP)
It was a set that boosted Alcaraz’s confidence during the opening game, a hallmark of his week in Queens. However, when it looked like they could dominate the final, they took a break for medical attention, and that idea was dismissed.
When he returned to the court after the break, a bandage was visible on his right leg, indicating that he may be suffering from an injury or discomfort.
It was a worrying situation ahead of Wimbledon but Alcaraz was undaunted even though his serve slowed in the first few games of the second set. The situation gave De Manor a chance to recover briefly and hit the memorable shot of the tournament. He played better during this period.
The highlight of the match came when De Manor hit a shot that was turned away by Alcaraz. However, De Manor made a number of mistakes, including some heavy ones. One of them was on break point, which resulted in Alcaraz taking the lead in the second set.
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Alcaraz played an excellent game and took advantage of both break point opportunities to dominate De Manor.
De Manor has been in impressive form since defeating Andy Murray in the first round. Australia’s natural grass court game and straight shots seemed to give them the upper hand over Alcaraz, but the Spaniards were able to counter these challenges and neutralize them.
“I think whoever wins Queen’s is in very good form at Wimbledon,” De Manor said.
‘I think obviously they showed all week how they are able to adapt to the situation and play a lot better. They always have good hands so they seem to play aggressively. I think they disguised the reverse shot well while making the slice shot work. Then obviously when they have enough time they can hurt you from anywhere.’
De Manor added that Alcaraz’s serve was the part of his game that was ‘misjudged’. ‘I think they were able to deal with big first serves in big points which they struggled to come out of. ‘137, 138 you can only call it very good.’
It was a message that will ring clear ahead of his return to the All England Club next week – see Wimbledon, Alcaraz has arrived.